The BMC introduced a unique WhatsApp chatbot number- 8169681697 on June 5 in honour of World Environment Day to handle citizen complaints about trash in public areas.
Citizens will be able to file complaints or make comments regarding garbage management through this portal.
Direct contact services were made available to citizens as part of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s plan to improve Mumbai’s solid waste management. As a result, the Solid Waste Management Department has made this new WhatsApp chatbot facility available to the public under the supervision of BMC Commissioner and Administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Ashish Sharma, and on the orders of Deputy Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Chanda Jadhav.
Citizens can directly call this number and file complaints about not picking up trash, not sweeping the street, not picking up dead animals, etc. Citizens must include a photo, the location’s address, and a GPS coordinate with their complaint. This complaint will be sent immediately to the appropriate department once it is submitted to WhatsApp chatbot 8169681697. This facility will shorten the time needed for complaint resolution. The responsible solid waste management officer will similarly address the complaint within the allotted period and upload a photo of the scene.
According to a survey published last month by the NGO Praja Foundation, the number of public complaints about solid waste management has risen from 5,519 in 2013 to 12,351 in 2022. With 4,356 complaints, rubbish not being lifted received the most attention in 2022. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde gave the civic authorities the order to launch a special helpline number for desilting and issues relating to rubbish while inspecting the desilting operations in the city.